Vinson Chief Takes Aim at Interservice Rifle Championship

QUANTICO, Va (NNS) -- The best marksmen of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and National Guard came together July 18-25 to show off their skill, compete, and learn from each other at the 45th Annual Interservice Rifle Championship in Quantico, Va.

"It was a great opportunity," said Bagoly, "to be able to represent the command and the Navy among a group of great shooters."

In the service rifle 1,000-yard individual match, Bagoly won a Secretary of the Navy Trophy Rifle with a score of 182 out of a possible 200, landing four shots in the center-most ring (4x) of the target. Vinson's sharpshooter was also selected to join a six-person competition with the Navy "Gold" team, as they fired in the Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command (MCCDC) team match. Bagoly's highlights also include a round with the 1,000-yard service rifle team.

Earlier this year, Bagoly competed in the Atlantic Fleet Rifle and Pistol matches with the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) rifle team. There, he contributed to the team's third place win in the large command category.

"During the competitions, I learned things about shooting that I doubt I would discover anywhere else," said Bagoly. "I hope I have the opportunity to teach these skills to our younger Sailors."

Each year, the U.S. Navy Marksmanship Team (USNMT) conducts the rifle and pistol matches for both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, in which hundreds of Sailors are trained in service-rifle and service-pistol marksmanship, small-arms safety, and marksmanship competition rules and procedures. Sailors participating in fleet matches represent their commands in individual and team events, earn marksmanship medals and badges, and qualify to stand armed watches aboard ships and at other commands.

The marksmanship team also conducts the annual All Navy Rifle and Pistol Championships, in which Sailors who have fired qualifying scores in fleet matches compete for top honors. As members of the Navy and Naval Reserve Rifle and Pistol Teams, top-scoring USNMT members represent the Navy in the most prestigious, varied, and highly-competitive individual and team marksmanship events in the world: the annual Interservice Rifle and Pistol Matches, the Civilian Marksmanship Program's National Rifle and Pistol Matches, and the National Rifle Association's National Rifle and Pistol Championships.

USNMT members also provide marksmanship training to Sailors at their home commands throughout the year, promote command rifle and pistol teams, develop and perfect marksmanship techniques for experimental and newly-introduced small arms, and test ammunition and related small arms accessories.

For more information on the U.S. Navy Marksmanship Team, visit www.usnst.org.